


The Art of Nesting

by Faster_Than_the_Speed_of_Sound



Series: Art Forms [2]
Category: Supernatural
Genre: Alpha Dean Winchester, Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Back Pain, Castiel and Dean Winchester in Love, Chronic Pain, Comforting Castiel (Supernatural), Cuddling & Snuggling, Dean Winchester Has Self-Worth Issues, Domestic Castiel/Dean Winchester, Domestic Fluff, Everything is Beautiful and Nothing Hurts, Fluff, Hurt Dean Winchester, M/M, Nesting, Omega Castiel (Supernatural), Omega Castiel/Alpha Dean Winchester, Soft Castiel (Supernatural), Soft Dean Winchester
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-06
Updated: 2020-07-06
Packaged: 2021-03-05 01:33:38
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,165
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25106251
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Faster_Than_the_Speed_of_Sound/pseuds/Faster_Than_the_Speed_of_Sound
Summary: Castiel has finally accepted Dean as his mate, and part of moving in together is the sacred building of an Omega's nest.Or: The one time where everything is soft and nothing hurts. Well, except maybe Dean's back.
Relationships: Castiel/Dean Winchester
Series: Art Forms [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1787338
Comments: 19
Kudos: 369





	The Art of Nesting

**Author's Note:**

> Hello, everyone! I promised you a one-shot addition to this series, didn't I? ;)
> 
> I hope you like it. I had a blast writing it. As I've said before, I don't usually write Omega Cas/Alpha Dean. I prefer it the other way. But somehow, I've come to like this series. Enjoy some soft fluffiness. ;)

Castiel Novak sighed heavily, wincing as he straightened. He was not as young as he used to be, though thirty was hardly old. Still, a day of moving boxes would take its toll on anyone, especially if they were out of shape.

Castiel glanced back at the car. That was the last of the boxes. The rest were full of the last things he’d wanted to move to Dean’s house. The realtor had come in just as Castiel’s car was pulling out of the driveway.

The Omega had sold his house and decided to move in with his Alpha. The funds from the house, combined with the savings Castiel had in the bank, had gone toward a new bakery down the street from the old one that had burned down. This new one was beautiful. It was bigger, with more space for inventory and other workers. Castiel had already hired someone named Garth, a nice man who was a natural with children.

Castiel locked up the bakery, the boxes he’d just moved sitting inside the door. Castiel would unpack them in a few days. For now, he was looking forward to relaxing at home with his mate.

Spurred on by the thought of getting home, Castiel dragged himself back into his car. Dean’s house was only a fifteen minute drive away, but it felt like forever.

The Omega went through the now-familiar motions of getting home, nearly running a red light because of how zoned-out he was. He made it home without any violations, however, and sighed in relief when the familiar house came into view.

Castiel parked in the driveway. Dean had a two-car garage, and one of the sides was taken up by his impressive home gym. The other was reserved for his special Baby, the ’67 Impala that was his pride and joy. Castiel was fine with letting his Lincoln sit out in the rain if it meant that his Alpha didn’t pout about the Impala being left outside.

Groaning, Castiel climbed the front steps and unlocked the door with his key, sighing in relief as a blast of warm air hit him as he entered the house.

There was something a little off, though. For one, it was completely silent. There was no off-key singing or strangely on-key whistling. No blaring rock music, no sounds of anyone else even being home. Castiel checked the garage and found the Impala still in her place, gleaming softly in the darkness.

He entered the kitchen and found no dinner being cooked or sitting in the oven to keep warm. Frowning even deeper, the Omega checked the living room. No Dean. 

“Dean!” he called. “Alpha? Are you here?”

There was a pause. Before Castiel could really start to worry, a deep voice steeped with exhaustion responded, “Here!”

Castiel huffed a sigh of relief and headed off in the direction of the voice, scenting the air as he went. He followed the scent of leather and apples, coming to a stop at the bathroom in their master bedroom.

“Alpha?” Castiel asked as he entered, frowning. “What are you doing?”

“I’m taking a little nap,” Dean replied, as if that wasn’t obvious.

“On the floor?” Castiel asked skeptically.

His Alpha was laid out on the tile floor of the bathroom, arm thrown over his eyes. “Yes,” was all the green-eyed Alpha said.

Castiel quickly ran through the reasons why Dean would be doing such a thing and sighed. “Alpha, how bad does it hurt?”

Dean sighed in reply. He’d been caught. “Not too bad.”

“You haven’t laid on the floor since that time I had to call the ambulance. Do I need to do that again?” Castiel asked.

Dean’s arm thumped to the floor and he lifted his head, green eyes wide. “No! God, no, you don’t need to do that. I’m fine. Just a little sore.”

He must be very sore, if he was admitting it.

Castiel sighed, kneeling beside his Alpha. Dean blinked up at him, green eyes seeming to glow in the dimness of the bathroom.

“What did you do that caused your back to act up?” Castiel asked, sitting down and crossing his legs. Dean sighed.

“Nothing. I just moved some furniture around, that’s all,” he said.

“How much of my furniture did you move?” Castiel asked curiously. He had recently moved in the chairs and small coffee table he hadn’t been able to part with from his house, and for a while, they had sat in the corner of the living room.

“Well. . . All of it,” Dean admitted.

“Alpha! The doctors said no moving heavy things! Especially not for a long period of time!” Castiel cried, exasperated. He smacked Dean on the shoulder. “Don’t expect any sympathy from me. You brought this on yourself.”

“I know,” Dean sighed.

Ever since the fire that had ended his firefighting career, the Alpha had been itching to do something again. He’d nearly gone insane when he’d been cooped up in the hospital. Now, however, with no job and nothing to do, he was doing increasingly dangerous things to try to feel like he was contributing again.

Castiel knew that would change when he put the Alpha to work in the bakery, but there were still a few weeks before he could get that up and running.

For now, he would just have to do damage control. Which, in this case, was figuring out how to ease his Alpha’s pain. 

“How bad does it hurt?” he asked.

They’d categorized the pain with stages of one through ten, one being barely noticeable, ten being I’m-going-to-pass-out-call-the-ambulance. 

Dean sighed. “Honestly? Six.”

Castiel resisted the urge to scold him again, knowing that he was already doing it to himself. The self-hating look in his eyes told Castiel enough. The Omega had learned of the Alpha’s appallingly low self-esteem after only an hour of hearing the Alpha talk about himself.

He’d promised to himself that he’d change that, but it would take time.

Castiel focused on appearing upbeat, even though his inner Omega was going haywire trying to think of ways to make his Alpha feel better.

“I think I ate all the leftovers earlier today,” the dark-haired Omega mused. “We have nothing to eat for dinner.”

“Oh, God, we’re screwed,” Dean said. “I wish someone would invent something like takeout or delivery pizza.”

Castiel smacked him on the shoulder. “Are you sassing me, Alpha?”

“Of course not, my beautiful Omega. Are we going to order something now? I’m going to chew my own shoe if I don’t eat something soon,” Dean said.

Castiel snorted and got up to grab his phone. He ordered a pizza from their favorite place, then sat back down next to his Alpha.

“That can’t be comfortable,” he decided. “The floor is hard.”

“I noticed,” Dean replied, grimacing. He blinked up at Castiel, then grinned. “It doesn’t matter. I have everything I need.”

“You’re a sap,” Castiel said, but he was blushing.

“And you’re mine,” Dean replied, a self-satisfied smirk playing across his lips. “I finally caught you.”

Castiel softened a little. “You did.”

He leaned down to kiss Dean, relishing the gentle play of their lips together. It wasn’t heated, just soft and loving. The Alpha broke off first, smiling up at his Omega.

“You’re all moved in now. You can make your nest wherever you want. I-“ Dean cut off, blinking in surprise. Castiel had just sat up, back ramrod straight. “Cas? You okay?”

Castiel blinked a little, surprised by the tidal wave of urges that had just overcome him. Of course. A nest.

His Alpha could lay in the nest he would build him. The floor was too hard, but maybe with the right arrangement of pillows and blankets. . .

“Cas?” Dean asked as the Omega stood and began to walk out of the room. Castiel didn’t even acknowledge him, just hurried over to the linen closet and began to pull everything off the shelves.

The Alpha shoved himself up on his elbows, wincing at the waves of agony that raced up from his lower back. He gritted his teeth and pushed through the pain, getting to his knees and then his feet. It was a slow process that took several minutes, but he managed it. 

When Dean exited the bathroom, he found Castiel sitting in the corner of their bedroom with a pile of blankets and pillows around him, already arranging them with an almost-feverish intensity.

“Oh,” Dean breathed softly. “Right. Nesting.” He walked forward a little ways, not wanting to get too close and ruin anything. “Do you need anything, Cas?”

“Clothes,” the Omega replied, tone clipped and leaving no room for conversation. 

Dean chuckled a little at his Omega’s determination, turning to his closet. He had a box of old clothes that he’d begun saving since he was young, figuring that if he ever found his Omega one day, they might need to use it.

He tried to put it down next to Castiel, but the Omega snarled - actually _snarled_ \- at the box. “Needs scent,” he growled out.

“Right. Sorry,” Dean replied, pulling the box away.

He grabbed some of the sweatshirts and began to rub them around his neck, layering his scent on the fabric.

Once there was a reasonably large pile of clothes that had his scent on them, Dean cautiously placed the fabrics next to his working Omega.

Castiel turned his head and scented the clothing. Dean waited with bated breath, wondering if his Omega would accept his addition to the nest.

He shouldn’t have worried. The dark-haired Omega merely grabbed the pile and dragged it toward him, beginning to arrange the different articles of clothing in a way that only he could make sense of.

Dean watched him until the doorbell rang and he realized that the pizza had arrived. Reluctantly, he tore himself away from watching his brilliant mate create a nest, hobbling out to the front door.

He paid the pizza delivery guy with a tight smile and a nice tip, tossing the pizza on the kitchen counter somewhat carelessly. His back was really killing him, and he would give anything to just sit down and never get up. But his Omega might need him, and there was no way Dean was going to miss this.

He went back to the bedroom as fast as he could, holding onto the wall for support.

There, he found his Omega standing back and staring at the now-completed nest with a frown.

Dean stayed in the doorway, keeping quiet. Castiel was in his own world right now, and Dean wasn’t about to interrupt it.

“Alpha, come here,” the Omega commanded, making grabby-hands at Dean. The green-eyed Alpha chuckled. Even deep in Omega-headspace, his Castiel was still bossy as ever.

“Yes, angel?” he asked, limping forward. He tried to downplay the pain was much as possible, but it was hard.

“Come see,” Castiel said, grabbing Dean’s hand. He tugged Dean to his side and frowned at the nest. “Something’s off.”

“It looks beautiful,” Dean replied. It really did. The nest looked soft and cozy, well-hidden and sturdy. He kind of wanted to go lay in it. Really bad. But he refrained, knowing he had to be invited first.

“It’s missing something,” Castiel murmured, more to himself than to Dean.

Dean was about to ask what, and offer to find whatever it was, when the Omega stepped forward. He dragged the Alpha with him.

“Are you sure?” Dean asked, pausing at the boundary of the nest. He didn’t want to invade Castiel’s sacred space.

“Alpha, get your ass in here,” Castiel replied.

Chuckling, Dean ducked underneath a swath of blanket and entered the nest.

Immediately, he was enveloped by their intertwined scents. It soothed something deep inside him, calming the fiery pain of his back.

“Lay down, Alpha,” Castiel told him, directing him to the middle.

Dean did as he was told, laying down on the soft, cushy center of the nest. He breathed out a sigh of relief as the agony of his back eased, becoming a much more manageable throb.

Castile purred in satisfaction. “Better?”

“Yeah,” Dean replied, huffing out a laugh. “This nest is amazing, angel.”

Castiel blushed, smiling to himself as he glanced around. It was true. The nest was well-built and perfectly made to fit them both. Dean could have laid in here for hours.

Castiel lowered himself down next to Dean, wrapping around him like an octopus. Dean cuddled back, the warmth and contact feeling incredible.

“There’s pizza in the kitchen,” he mumbled, eyes slipping closed.

Castiel made a purring, contented noise. “Pizza later. Cuddles now.”

Dean smiled to himself, curling around his Omega in their nest. “Deal,” he murmured into Castiel’s dark hair.

Just before he was drifting off to sleep, Dean asked the question that had been fluttering at the back of his mind. “What was it that was missing?”

Castiel nuzzled into his throat and purred softly, then replied simply, “You.”

**Author's Note:**

> Fun fact: I wrote this at 2 in the morning and posted it at 3.
> 
> Thanks for reading, I hope you enjoyed it! If you're a little lost/haven't read the first part of the series, you should go check it out. It's got more angst, but I promise there's fluff too.
> 
> I'll see you all soon! I've hit a bit of writer's block, but I hope that this fic is evidence that I've gotten past it. Love you all!
> 
> ~Faster_Than_the_Speed_of_Sound


End file.
